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Google Hires Former US Solicitor General to Challenge Antitrust Ruling

By  |  June 3, 2025

Alphabet Inc.’s Google has brought on former U.S. Solicitor General Donald Verrilli Jr. to lead its appeal against a pivotal antitrust ruling, the company confirmed on Tuesday. The move marks an early but crucial step in Google’s effort to challenge a federal court’s conclusion that it maintains an unlawful monopoly over the online search market.

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    According to Economic Times, Verrilli’s appointment signals Google’s determination to reverse the decision handed down last year by U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta. The ruling found that Google had engaged in monopolistic practices, particularly through its agreements with device manufacturers like Apple to set its search engine as the default on new devices. Judge Mehta is currently weighing potential remedies, including the possibility of forcing Google to divest from its Chrome browser or requiring it to share proprietary search data — actions that could fundamentally alter the company’s business model.

    Google has pushed back strongly against the ruling, arguing that the U.S. Department of Justice failed to demonstrate that these agreements harmed market competition. The tech giant has recently taken steps to ease such agreements, permitting partners like Samsung to install alternative search apps, per Economic Times.

    Read more: Alphabet Commits $500M to Compliance Overhaul in Settlement

    Verrilli, who served as the Obama administration’s top lawyer before the Supreme Court, is highly regarded for his successful defense of the Affordable Care Act. He will represent Google in the appeal before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit—a court where Democratic appointees currently hold a majority.

    Beyond this case, Verrilli is known for his involvement in high-profile litigation, including a lawsuit challenging an executive order from the Trump administration that allegedly restricted business operations. His representation also extends to a broad coalition of firms criticizing former President Trump’s public attacks on legal professionals, as well as high-stakes cases involving the U.S. Copyright Office and the National Endowment for Democracy.

    Verrilli is a partner at Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP, a firm that has a longstanding relationship with Google. The firm, co-founded by the late Charlie Munger, also counts major financial institutions such as Bank of America and Berkshire Hathaway among its clients.

    Source: Economic Times